Clasp for garment supporters



Aug. 23, 1938. J. R. PARKER CLASP FOR' GARMENT SUPPORTERS Filed Aug. 25.1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR,

Au 23, 1938. J, R, PARKER 2,127,656

CLASP FOR GARMENT SUPPORTERS Filed Aug. 25, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR,

Patented Aug. 23, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFECE CLASP FO-R, GARMENTSUPPORTERS tario, Canada Application August 25,

1 Claim.

The invention relates to improvements in clasps for garment supportersas described in the present specification and shown in the accompanyingdrawings that form a part of the same.

My invention concerns particularly that type of device which comprisesbroadly a lower section carrying a stud and an upper section having asubstantially keyhole-shaped opening adapted to receive said stud.

l 1 Heretofore clasps of this general type have been of a much greaterthickness than is desirable and have presented, particularly due to theshape and arrangement of the stud an irregular outer face extending tobulge the overlying garments and 15' render the device conspicuous.Furthermore, due to incorrect construction and relative positioning ofthe parts comprising the said known clasps the force of the strain onthe fabric is improperly distributed with the result that injury to thegar- J). ment becomes unavoidable.

The objects of the present invention are to provide a simple andefficient clasp, particularly adapted for use with hose supportingdevices, which will lie snugly against the limb of the wear- :55 er andwhich will be of substantially even thickness throughout so as not toproduce any noticeable bulging efiect on the garments thereabove, toprovide a clasp which will grip the garment securely without danger ofcutting or otherwise in- T0 ":jllrlng same, and generally to provide anattractive yet inexpensive clasp of strong and durable construction andwhich may be easily and quickly engaged and disengaged.

I overcome the objections and difficulties at- 55: tendant upon the useof the heretofore known devices and attain the above and other objectsof my invention by the construction described hereinafter and shown inthe drawings and which consists, broadly, in utilizing two mainelements,

r ene being a rigid member having an elongated opening therein ofreduced width towards it lower end providing intermediate shoulders andthe other being a flexible tab secured to said rigid member above saidopening and having an elongated, integral, shallow boss from the upperface thereof of slightly less width than said tab, and being groovedperipherally to provide a neck of a width to slidably fit within thereduced portion of the opening in the rigid member, the said gmboss, orbutton, extending upwardly to fill the opening in the keeper whereby toprovide a clasp having a smooth exterior and also providing means forfolding the fabric over the said shoulders whereby to distribute theforce of the grip- -,;ping strain.

1936, Serial No. 97,809

In describing the invention reference will be had to the accompanyingdrawings in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved clasp in its opencondition.

Figure 2 is a front view of a clasp having a slightly modified garmentengaging face.

Figure 3 is a side view of the clasp shown in Figure 2 in its opencondition.

Figure 4 is a front view of a clasp with a portion of the button brokenaway.

Figure 5 is a front view of a clasp in which the base member isperforated.

Figure 6 is a side view of a clasp having the outer face thereof cutobliquely to insure flexibility.

Figure '7 is a plan View of a modified form of clasp.

Figure 8 is a side view showing another method of cutting the face ofthe clasp to insure flexibility. I

Figure 9 is a front view modified form of keeper.

Figure 10 is a side view of the structure shown in Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a cross sectional view taken on the line H of Figure 9.

Figure 12 is a longitudinal sectional View through a clasp of slightlymodified construction.

Figure 13 is a view similar to Figure 12 showing a different method ofsecuring the sections toether.

Figure 14 is a longitudinal sectional View of the upper portion of theclasp showing the method of securing the flexible base element to thekeeper.

Figure 15 is an edge view of a portion of the flexible base member. 0

Like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the variousfigures.

Referring to the drawings l is the upper section of the clasp, which forthe purpose of identification is hereinafter termed the keeper.

The keeper is constructed of metal, or other inflexible material and ispreferably substantially T shape in plan, the head being provided with atransverse slot 2 for the reception of the elastic tape, or otherdevice, which may be employed to suspend the clasp from the garment, andthe body being provided with a longitudinal elongated opening 3,approximately the lower half of which is of considerably lesser widththan the upper portion, the reduction in widthof said opening serving toprovide opposed intermediate shoulders 3a.

4 is a flexible tab which constitutes the lower, or inner, section ofthe clasp and is at its upper of a clasp having a end secured to thekeeper l above the stud opening 3, preferably by extending the top endof the tab through the slot 2 and over the face of the keeper andrearwardly again through a slot 5 provided in the keeper.

To insure permanency the tab at its top end is preferably thickenedsomewhat to provide a transverse shoulder 6 which, when inserted throughthe slot 5 will effectually prevent separation of the tab from thekeeper.

The portion of the tab which is turned around the keeper in securing thetab thereto is preferably recessed transversely, or scored, as indicatedby the numeral 7, whereby the tab will follow closely the contour of thepart it is folded around and will thus present flat surfaces on theopposite sides of the device whereby to render the device as compact aspossible. That portion of the keeper, indicated at 8, which constitutesthe lower wall of the slot 5 is preferably raised a distance equal tothe thickness of the tab whereby to provide a smooth continuity in theface of the clasp.

The tab 4 preferably extends downwardly slightly beyond the lower end ofthe keeper and is of greater width than the stud opening 3 so that itwill not normally pass through said opening.

The tab l is preferably made of rubber or other substance having similarproperties, and on its face is provided with a button 9 which preferablyis an integral part of the tab and is of lesser width than said tab, orbase, whereby to permit of its entry within the larger part of theopening 3, but being of greater width than the reduced lower portion ofsaid opening.

The edge of the raised portion constituting the button or stud, isgrooved as indicated by the numeral ill to provide a neck whereby whenthe button is inserted through the larger part of the opening 3 in thekeeper and is moved downwardly the opposing side walls of the keeperwill enter the groove and thus lock the sections together and as thegarment is adapted tobe placed over the button prior to the sectionsbeing brought into operative engagement with each other the said garmentwill be securely held into engagement with the neck and above said neckwill be spread outwardly over the shoulders 3a and held in engagementtherewith by the upwardly continuing portion of the button.

The length of the button 9 is preferably such that when the sections ofthe clasp are placed in operative engagement the entire longitudinalarea of the opening 3 in the keeper will be filled thereby so that asnearly as possible the clasp will present a smooth exterior and thusrender the device as inconspicuous as possible beneath the clothing.

A further advantage of the construction just described is that the twosections of the clasp are securely locked against longitudinal displacement and can only be disengaged by forcing the upper portion of thebutton out of the enlarged portion of the opening in the keeper andsliding the tab upwardly until the lower portion of the button isreleased through the said enlarged opening.

It is essential that the lower section comprising the tab and button besufficiently flexible to bend freely when it is being brought intooperating position in relation to the keeper and to this end it ispreferable that the button be provided with one or more transverse cutsl l, which may extend through the neck or such cut, or cuts,

may simply be in the form of notches in the face of the head as is shownin Figure 3.

The degree of flexibility of the flexible section may be furtherincreased in any suitable manner such, as by perforating the material,as shown at l2 in Figure 5, or by cutting the surface of the head of thebutton obliquely as shown at l3 in Figure 6 or by cutting the headvertically as shown at M in Figure 8.

In Figures 7 and 8 the button is shown as comprising a single sectionintegral with the base, or tab, and adapted to completely fill theopening in the keeper.

In Figures 9, 10 and 11 a modified form of clasp is shown in which thetab 4 is provided near its lower end with a button l5 relatively smallerthan those heretofore described and the keeper is provided with anopening l6 adapted to slidably accommodate the neck of the button. Thatportion of the keeper between the top end of the opening 55 and the slot5, and indicated by the numeral ll, is raised above the plane of thesurrounding surface a distance cor-' responding to the thickness of thehead of the button whereby to provide on the under face of the keeper arecess is of slightly greater width than the head of the button so thatin the locking of the clasp the button head after having been insertedin said recess can be readily moved downwardly into a locked condition,with the neck of the button, over which the garment has been laid,closely engaged by the surrounding side and lower end interior Walls ofthe keeper.

It will be apparent that the top surfaces of the button, the raisedportion ll of the keeper and the overlapping portion of the tabthereabove will be on the same plane and thus pro vide a clasp having asmooth exterior.

In Figure 12 a modified form of clasp is shown in which the tab is anintegral part of the button and not of the base as in the case of thedevices hereinbefore described. In this construction the tab l9 extendsupwardly over the face of the keeper and is folded around the edgethereof within the slot 2 and is inserted in a slot 26 in the keeper.

The base 2! is of slightly greater plan area than the opening in thekeeper so that it will not pass through said opening and in the lockedcondition of the device the button and its extension provide a perfectlyplane surface throughout the face of the clasp.

In Figure 13 the clasp shown is constructed similarly to that shown inFigure 12 with the exception that the tab is extended for fastening fromthe rear to the face of the keeper and has its end inserted through aslot in the keeper.

In Figure 4 a form of button is shown in which the groove ll] extendsonly along the opposite sides of the button so that the lower endthereof will present a solid face whereby the end of the keeper will beexposed.

, In the use of this invention the flexible tab 4 carrying the button 9,and in the case of the device shown in Figure 1 the resilient bossthereabove, is placed under the edge of the garment. The two sections ofthe clasp are then readily closed over the garment by simply pressingthe sections towards one another to bring the lower end of the buttoninto the enlarged upper part of the opening in the keeper and thensliding the button downwardly to its lowermost limit whereby theinterior side walls of the reduced portion of said opening will enterthe grooves in the opposite sides of the button and will hold thegarment securely in engagement with the comparatively resilient neck ofthe button with the upwardly extending portion of the button filling theenlarged upper portion ofthe opening in the keeper and therebypresenting a smooth upper surface which will not efiect the appearanceof the covering garments.

As the width of the button 9 is substantially as great as that of theenlarged upper portion of the opening in the keeper and consequentlygreater than the space between the walls of the reduced portion of saidopening and as the garment overlies the whole of the button it will beapparent that in the closed position of the clasp the garment will beforced outwardly at each side of the button around the opposed shouldersof the keeper and firmly held in engagement therewith by the sides ofthe button thus providing gripping surfaces at an outward angle inrelation to the neck of the button.

It is of course understood that the flexible lower section of the claspmay be constructed of rubber, rubber composition, or any other materialwhich will provide a firm grip but which will not present any sharp orhard surfaces likely to injure the fabric.

The present invention provides an efficient clasp of extremely smalldepth and is neat and attractive in appearance and while the preferredembodiment and certain modifications have been shown herein anddescribed it is of course to be understood that alterations in detailsof construction and arrangements of parts as come within the scope ofthe following claim for novelty may be made.

What I claim is:-

A clasp for a garment supporter, comprising in combination a rigidkeeper having an elongated stud opening of reduced width towards itslower end, a transversely recessed flexible tabinterlooking at one endwith said keeper above said stud opening and extending downwardly belowsaid keeper, and an elongated flexible stud of substantially even depththroughout carried by said tab adapted for cooperation with said keeperand in the closed condition of the clasp extending upwardly within saidopening whereby to provide a filler therefor, said stud being providedwith incisions in the upper surface thereof.

JOHN ROBIE PARKER.

